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Test Your Anti-Virus July 28, 2009

Posted by Kathy in Internet, Software.
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Have you wondered whether your anti-virus is actually working while its little icon is sitting in your system tray? Did you know you can test it?

EICAR, a European organization involved in virus research, provides a downloadable file which is harmless, but which all major anti-virus software recognizes as a virus for testing purposes.  If your anti-virus program is working, you should receive an alert as soon as the file is downloaded.   (Remember, it’s not a real virus!)

Visit the following link and scroll to the bottom of the page to download the test file, which is available in four versions.  The first and the third (a compressed ZIP file) should suffice.  If your anti-virus product doesn’t react to these files, then your real-time protection isn’t working.  As always, you should keep your software up to date to ensure protection against the latest threats.

Download the EICAR test file

Windows 7: Everything Vista Wasn’t Cracked Up to Be July 22, 2009

Posted by Kathy in Software.
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It’s the Windows that Vista should have been.

I wasn’t a Vista hater like a lot of people, although I hung onto XP for quite a while before I upgraded. Vista was all right, if a bit of a security nag with its User Account Control. Other than that I really didn’t object to it.

But now I’ve been using the Windows 7 Release Candidate for about a month, and there’s a big difference. As a Mac user, I run Windows in virtualization, and Windows 7 seems to run much faster than Vista ever did. Though very much like Vista in appearance, the 7 interface seems greatly simplified.

I particularly like the changes to the Taskbar. If there is any part of Windows that users have been clueless about, it’s this. In Windows 7 the Taskbar now represents running programs with an icon rather than a text button. If you have multiple windows open in one program, the icon has a “stacked” appearance, and clicking on it brings up a list of windows to choose from. By right-clicking you can “pin” an item permanently to the Taskbar, replacing the separate “Quick Launch” section. Thinking about it now, I believe the Taskbar overhaul is one of my favorite features.

Another subtle, but big improvement is the “Shut down” button. In Vista when you clicked the red power button from the Start Menu, you didn’t actually power down necessarily. Now there’s a button that reads simply and honestly, “Shut down.”

And I haven’t encountered any driver or software incompatibilities compared to Vista.

So far (it’s only the release candidate), Windows 7 has been a good experience.  When it’s officially released, I think it will be worth the upgrade from XP for those who were scared of Vista.  I just have one tiny gripe…

What the heck does seven have to do with anything??

Download the Windows 7 Release Candidate

Control fan speed on Intel-based Apple laptops March 28, 2009

Posted by Kathy in Software.
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Does your MacBook run hot enough to fry chicken thighs — or your thighs, for that matter?  If you have an Apple laptop with an Intel processor, you can actually change the speed of the fans, thus better controlling the overall temperature.

One program that allows you to do this is called smcFanControl, and it’s free (my favorite).  It’s a very simple app that runs as a menu bar icon.  The current version as of this writing has the ability to continually display both fan RPMs and temperature.  You can even automatically load saved fan settings based on whether the laptop is running off battery or AC power.  This software is very cool… and now so is my MacBook.

Download smcFanControl

Lightbox free image editor March 18, 2009

Posted by Kathy in Uncategorized.
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The real magic of digital photography is the almost infinite flexibility you have to make changes to your pictures.  If you have very basic photo management software, you probably have only very basic features for retouching images.  But you may not be ready to shell out money for a more advanced product like Adobe Photoshop Elements.  For improved editing features without the cost, try the Lightbox Free Image Editor. It’s totally free and available for Windows.  The Lightbox editor covers cropping, color and lighting adjustment, resizing, sharpening, and, of course, red-eye.  It even supports the raw files created by digital SLRs.  Before-and-after views are handy for previewing the effects of your changes.

If you’re looking for just a little more — including clone brushing and masking — Lightbox comes in a Plus version for just under $20.

Download Lightbox Editor

Has Google been down your street? December 31, 2008

Posted by Kathy in Internet.
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If you use Google Maps to look up an address or find directions, you may have seen the “Street View” option. Going beyond the satellite photography we’re accustomed to from Google Earth, Street View (introduced in May 2007) provides ground-level panoramic photographs of an area, much like one would capture while walking down the block. To get these images, Google sent camera-equipped vehicles to roam various metropolitan areas around the country.

I’ve known for some time that Google was doing this. What I didn’t realize was how quickly they got to my area (Albany, NY was added by February 2008) and how much they got (my street). Plugging my own address into Google Maps, I see that the Google-mobile went right past my house.

And I missed it! I would have waved or something.

Judging by the content of the photo, it was summer, since the vegetation is green and full, lawn mowing appears to be in full swing, and my neighbor’s sunflowers are blooming. It was definitely a Friday — garbage day, since the cans are out on the curb. (And I’d guess the trucks have probably already come by since the recycling bins are overturned.) The position of the sun (it’s a clear day) makes me think it was early afternoon.

Even though Google may be within its rights taking photographs from public roads, the pictures do creep me out a little for their “Big Brother” feel. In the street view near my address, you can see a couple (albeit unidentifiable) walking along the side of the road. There are even web sites such as this one dedicated to strange Google Street View sightings. To Google’s credit, it appears they have gone back and obscured portions of photos that may not have been appropriate for public display (e.g., crimes being committed, people whose thongs are showing). But Google’s Street View definitely has people asking the question of how much information is too much.